It's Raining Again
by sfchemist
Summary: My submission to the 10 ipod challenge. 10 drabbles written to 10 songs, none of them are long enough to be considered a song-fic.


**Explanation:** For those of you not familiar with the 10 iPod challenge; the idea is that you put your ipod (or whatever) on shuffle and write a drabble for the first ten songs that are played. You have the length of the song in which to write them.

**AN: **Thanks to Kathiann for asking me to beta her version of this challenge. It looked like great fun so I had a go too. Here's what my ipod helped me come up with.

**IPS iPod Challenge**

**1. What a Good Boy – Barenaked Ladies**

Marshall glared at the man cowering before him, silently counting to ten in his head. He wanted to punch him so badly. He felt Mary's hand on his arm, telling to back away. He heeded her warning and left the room, trusting Mary to deal with his idiotic witness.

As he leant against the wall in the hallway, he recalled the look of panic in his witness's eyes as Marshall had squared up to him. Lewis wasn't used to seeing Marshall so angry. He, like all the others, thought Marshal Marshall Mann was the 'nicer' in his and Mary's partnership. Lewis, like all the others, was shocked when Marshall finally showed his teeth. Not such a good boy after all.

Marshall smiled; if only they knew.

**2. Pigeons and Crumbs – Natalie Imbruglia**

Mary floated on the lido, enjoying the Albuquerque sunshine. The only perk of being on sick leave was that she actually got to enjoy her pool for a change. She let her thoughts drift. The doctors had told her she wouldn't be fit for duty for several more weeks but she didn't believe a thing they told. She was determined to be back at work in under a month. A month was long enough to recover. Any longer would be too hard on Marshall and she couldn't trust that things wouldn't get forgotten, wouldn't slip through the cracks like loose change and crumbs down the back of the sofa.

A month was plenty of time. It would have to be.

**3. South Street – The Orlons**

He couldn't stop himself. He knew Mary would have words with him later but the music was playing and he had to dance. He knew Mary would rather gnaw her own foot off than dance so he pulled Brandi onto the dance floor and together they gyrated to the music.

Mary watched horrified as her sister and fiancé took to the dance floor. Was there no end to the embarrassment he would heap upon her?

She looked over at her mom, chatting quietly to Peter. Didn't they see what was happening?

She stared morosely at her drink as the music and merriment swirled around her and wondered when had this become her life?

**4. Rachmaninov – Prelude in C sharp minor**

Stan poured himself a scotch and collapsed onto the sofa.

He ran a weary hand over his face before he swallowed the contents of the glass in one go. He poured himself another, he knew better than to put the bottle away on nights like this.

Today had been the sort of day he had come to dread. The eerie quiet of the last few days had been a prelude to the chaos of today and would be longed for in days to come as he faced the mountain of paperwork his two inspectors had created.

Not that it was their fault. They hadn't know that Horst was a criminal already in disguise. Only their quick thinking and actions had saved them and allowed them to capture 'Lola'.

Tomorrow would be better. Marshall would be better.

And for tonight he had his scotch.

**5. 24 Hours – The Sounds**

Mary sped along the interstate, radio turned up high, windows down. Marshall sat next to her, one arm out the window. They were returning from a successful witness transfer and had been on the road for 24 hours. Mary turned the radio up some more as she belted out the song playing on the radio. Marshall laughed. Life was good. He didn't care that he hated this song.

**6. Det Regnar Igen – Marie Fredriksson**

Seattle.

A windy and rainy day even by that city's standards.

A man stands alone in a doorway, waiting.

A shot rings out across the street followed by the sound of running footsteps. Another man approaches him and hands him a package before running back the way he came.

The man walks calmly away.

He walks home in the pouring rain, soaked through to the skin.

He sees the lights on in his second floor apartment and pushes open the main door slowly, knowing what awaits.

He climbs the stairs with heavy feet and a heavy heart. He opens the apartment door to be greeted by the FBI agents he made the deal with. He hands them the package and they point him in the direction of two US Marshals.

Albuquerque they tell him.

At least it won't rain all the time, he thinks.

**7. Can't Catch Tomorrow – The Lost Prophets**

Mary jogs along, knowing she has to reach the front of the building at the precise moment that Marshall gets there to have a chance of catching their suspect.

She know the speed he runs, and times her steps to match, the sound of her feet hitting the sidewalk rhythmic and soothing, like knowing that Marshall will be there when she rounds the final corner.

She knows this like she knows the sun will rise tomorrow.

She hears nothing but the sound of her blood pounding in her ears. It's been a long chase but a worthwhile one. The beat of her heart drives her on, toward where she knows Marshall will be.

She rounds the corner and sees him coming toward her, flushing out their suspect as he does so.

**8. Det Hj**ä**rta Som Brinner – Gyllene Tider**

It doesn't matter, he tells himself.

It will never matter.

She will never see him, never know how his heart burns for her.

But it doesn't matter.

He'll never tell her.

Well, maybe one day. But not today.

Today he's not ready. He hasn't come up with the prefect way to tell her yet. He won't tell her until he does. He thinks of all the ways he could tell her and rejects them one after another because he knows it doesn't matter in the end.

His heart could smoulder on for years, eating away at itself, like a candle devouring itself as it burns. And, like a candle, it provides something she won't notice until it's too late and it's gone. She won't notice until she's plunged into darkness as his heart gutters and dies.

**9. Last Years Troubles – Suzanne Vega**

Mary cradled Brandi in her arms, trying to cover her ears with her hands.

The yelling from the other room was getting louder and the only word Mary could pick out were the ones that she knew she wasn't allowed to use.

Finally the door slammed and Mary heard the sound of glass shattering against it. She'd have to clear that up later she knew, but for now the coast seemed clear.

She sat Brandi in the corner with Biscuit and told her to keep still and quiet. She snuck into the kitchen where she saw her mom sobbing on the counter. She stood unobtrusively watching her mom cry, wanting to comfort her but being too scared to try.

She crept into the living room and saw the eviction notice on the coffee table.

Underneath was her reading assignment, suddenly no longer necessary as she wouldn't be attending that school much longer she guessed. She picked up the book and looked longingly at the woman in Victorian dress on the cover, wishing they could trade places.

**10. Call Me – Blondie**

Brandi hung up the phone. Her call had been forwarded straight to voicemail. Again. She'd left a message. Again. But she knew Mary wouldn't call her back.

She didn't understand why Mary never returned her calls. What was so important at the court house that Mary couldn't answer her goddamn phone?

She dialled again and this time tried Marshall's number. It didn't always work, but this time it did.

"What is it Brandi?" he asked tersely

"Do you know where my sister is?" She asked, wondering if she had interrupted something.

"She's right here, we're a bit busy at the moment," Marshall said breathlessly and broke off as something on the other end of the phone required his more immediate attention.

Brandi could hear a commotion coming through the phone line and the sound of Marshall breathing heavily. The stream of curses could be only be her sister and Mary felt sorry for whoever it was directed at.

Finally Marshall came back on the line, "Is it important?"

"Umm...No I guess not," Brandi admitted figuring that whatever the pair of them were up to, Mary would be mad if she took up any more of Marshall's time.

* * *

Thanks to roar526 for the beta. Which is your favourite?


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